May 3, 2019 Coats Museum News
Time brings changes-good or bad according to which side of the change one is on. There is little likelihood that anyone living today in Coats who can remember when a special session of the Coats Town Board passed rules about buildings on Main Street-no more wooden buildings could be built and no more repairs to current wooden buildings on Main Street without permission of the town commissioners (Coats Town Meeting Minutes Dec. 21, 1927). Wonder how that went over. Question: Are there any wooden structures on Main Street in 2019?
There was a time when the Native Americans and newcomers to the New World followed the animal trails to get from one point to another. Then there were paths, dirt roads and bridges which were the responsibilities of those who lived on the road. In Coats, the town commissioners hired men with mules to maintain some of the streets and ditches in town. Ditches? A picture of McKinley Street given to the museum by Kent Langdon shows the dirt streets with boards over ditches which allowed individuals to get into the yards from the street.
At the same time that new wooden buildings were prohibited and the streets were dirt in Coats, a new cotton fabric designed for use in highway construction had been perfected as a result of research conducted by the Cotton-Textile Institution. It was a loose cotton mesh for use in the construction of concrete highways (Harnett County News Mar. 15, 1928). Did you see the word “concrete” and the date-1928?
We give President Dwight Eisenhower credit for our interstate highway system. Did you know that in 1928, Representative Clarence J. McLeod introduced a House Joint Resolution asking for the construction of an inter-American highway on the Western Hemisphere? (Harnett County News Apr. 19, 1928)
Do you think that had anything to do with the fact that cars were more and more available when corporations such as General Motors had seven models of Chevrolet ranging from $495 to $715? Cadillac had 26 models with 500 colors to choose from. The cost was from $3,295 to $5,500. Oakland had nine models ranging from $1,045 to $1,375 (Harnett County News Apr. 26, 1928). Did you ask-“Oakland?”
First, does that tell you that there was a great deal of choices of vehicles for humans to choose to travel from one place to another? For those prices, were better roads needed? Second, does it appear because of the great number of cars and colors that the car industry knew that Americans like to make their own choices?
What about the following? The Coats Town Board met on May 1, 1928 in the Masonic Hall. A.F. Grimes acted as Chairman. (Was he still mayor?) A move was made by J.M. Byrd that the old board be reelected: it was seconded by L.L. Stewart and the voting was unanimous by acclamation (Coats Town Board Meeting May 1, 1928). Can a town board reelect themselves?
Sometimes change is just about the actors and not the stage. For example there seemed to have been a concern about candidate spending by politicians for decades. To verify this, note that Senator Bronson Cutting of New Mexico introduced a Senate Bill No. 4424 to regulate campaign expenditures of candidates for President and Vice President (Harnett County News May 24, 1928).
Have the following changed? The Paramount Theater in Lillington charged 15 cents and 25 cents to watch “The Stolen Bride”. Electric fans kept the audience cool in the hot July weather. The Harnett County citizens voted to have eight months schools in Harnett County School districts (Harnett County News June 21, 1928). Good or bad changes?
This I do know. According to the Oct. 29, 1976 edition of the Daily Record, the Coats Town Board made a $630 payment to the NCDOT for the first of five annual installments on the town’s share of right of way costs on McKinley Street. The board also asked the merchants to pay one half of the rental of Christmas lights. The town was urged to raise water rates and increase tax collections.
One of the principal organizers of Law and Order Appreciation Month was Walter Weeks, a Harnett County police school Liaison Officer (Daily Record Nov. 2, 1976).
Debbie Jean Sorrell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Sorrell, Jr., was engaged to marry James Nelson Jackson, son of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Jackson of Coats (Daily Record Nov. 1973).
Dana Carol Coats, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Waeford Coats, was engaged to Roy Brady McNeal. A private wedding was planned at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Coats on Jan. 2. 1978.
The Nov. 8, 1976 edition of the Daily Record reported that H.L. Sorrell, Jr., coordinator for the HCDETS, had presented George Carroll of Dunn with a plaque in appreciation for loaning cars in which Harnett County students practiced driving under trained supervision.
The same edition shared that Karen Pope, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Pope, was crowned Miss Coats High. Sad news was shared that Mrs. Hazel Eure Grimes, 58, of Coats, had died on Saturday. The former teacher’s funeral services were held at the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, Clyde Grimes and one son, Andrew Clyde Grimes, Jr.
Death had taken another Coats connected citizen at a relatively young age. Mr. John D. Richardson, 57, of Dunn had died on Monday. He was husband of Marian Ennis Richardson and brother-in-law to Tommy Ennis.
Keith McLeod, son of Mr. and Mrs. Victor McLeod, of Coats was named Harnett County’s Outstanding Young Farmer at the Farm Bureau Banquet (Daily Record Nov. 9, 1976). Did Keith later get recognized for outstanding work with the Coats Fire Department and other arenas?
I do know that Douglas Earl Dennis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Dennis, was engaged to marry Jackie Darlene Surles, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack C. Surles (Daily Record Nov. 12, 1976). How familiar do those names sound?
Lucrecia Dawn Avery, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Walker Avery, married Roy Kemp Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Leroy Stewart of Coats. The wedding occurred at Prospect FWB Church by Rev. R.O. Byrd (Daily Record Nov. 22, 1976).
Robert Morgan spoke during the Coats Law and Order Appreciation Month. Among those participating were Walter Weeks, Student Government President Glenn Avery, and Ron Peters. Sadness prevailed at the Pope, McGee and Holmes households. Jeremy E. Holmes, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Randy Holmes, of Coats, had died on Monday. Surviving Jeremy were his paternal grandparents, Edward Holmes, Mrs. Evelyn Holmes, and maternal grandparents, Elder D.A and Carol Pope McGee of Route One, Angier. Elsewhere in the area, M.O. Phillips was elected to the board of directors to raise funds for the School of Education at NC State University Foundation (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1976).
Mrs. Dathan Flowers, 56, of Angier Route 2, had died on Tuesday.. She had been ill for a long while. Mrs. Flowers was the former Miss Excelle Godwin, daughter of the late Grover Cleveland Godwin and Kitty Barnes Godwin. She was survived by her husband, Dathan Flowers and three daughters- Gail Regan, Jennifer and Glenda Flowers. Mrs. Lottie Pollard was her sister and Wiley, Layton and Halford Godwin were Mrs. Flowers’s brothers. Rev. Howard Beard held the services at the Coats Baptist Church. Her nephews-Don Godwin, Danny Pollard, Kenneth Pollard, Shelton Godwin, Maurice Godwin, Leon Walker, Billy Walker and Ronnie Pleasant were pallbearers. Senator and Mrs. Robert Morgan attended the funeral of their dear friend, Jennifer Flowers’s mother (Daily Record Nov. 30, 1976).
Driver Education was once again in the news when the paper published a picture of HCDETS Coordinator H.L. Sorrell, Jr. and Wiley Elliott of the NC State Department of Education. Elliott was pictured explaining the traffic safety curriculum that was to be implemented in the 10 Harnett County Schools (Daily Record Dec. 3, 1976).
Free inoculations to guard against swine flu were provided in the Coats Community Building (Daily Record Dec. 7, 1976).
The headline read “Coats People Keep Their Promises” in the December 8, 1976 Daily Record. What was their promise? Fifty-three people had pledged to give blood at the Bloodmobile and fifty-four people showed up.
Members of the Coats Lions Club heard one of the state’s top banking executives, Frank Holding of Smithfield. Herbert L. Johnson who had presented two other speakers who had discussed finances at the club introduced Mr. Holding. At the same meeting, the group voted to contribute 365 more dollars to make a total of $1,065 given toward the $5,000 improvement project of the Coats Community Building (Daily Record Dec. 9, 1976).
Yes, the Coats Community Building in 1976 was in the news sharing a need for repairs. Ironically, Hazel Taylor Stephenson dropped by the museum to ask for assistance in getting out information about a 2019 “Saving the Coats Community Building” fundraiser. The community building which is rented out for events by the public is in need of many repairs. Many times over the last sixty plus years, the Coats clubs and community folks have come forth to keep the building a safe desirable place to rent. The Coats Area Chamber of Commerce is the current trustee of the building and is asking for support. Go to “Growing up in Coats” to discover how you can be a part of the Save the Coats Community Building Fundraiser.
Speaking of support, the Coats Museum folks are so appreciative of the support they receive from individuals in Coats and from those throughout the state and country. Stewart Akerman always brings a smile to the volunteers’ faces when he drops in for short visits. Last week, he dropped by to give a donation to the museum to honor the many volunteers who give hours to preserve the heritage of local families and the Coats community. Thank you, Stewart. Ralph Denning, an individual who over and over has shown his appreciation of those who have touched his life has remembered Marva Parrish Whittington with a memorial to the museum-Thank you again, Ralph.
Time brings changes-good or bad according to which side of the change one is on. There is little likelihood that anyone living today in Coats who can remember when a special session of the Coats Town Board passed rules about buildings on Main Street-no more wooden buildings could be built and no more repairs to current wooden buildings on Main Street without permission of the town commissioners (Coats Town Meeting Minutes Dec. 21, 1927). Wonder how that went over. Question: Are there any wooden structures on Main Street in 2019?
There was a time when the Native Americans and newcomers to the New World followed the animal trails to get from one point to another. Then there were paths, dirt roads and bridges which were the responsibilities of those who lived on the road. In Coats, the town commissioners hired men with mules to maintain some of the streets and ditches in town. Ditches? A picture of McKinley Street given to the museum by Kent Langdon shows the dirt streets with boards over ditches which allowed individuals to get into the yards from the street.
At the same time that new wooden buildings were prohibited and the streets were dirt in Coats, a new cotton fabric designed for use in highway construction had been perfected as a result of research conducted by the Cotton-Textile Institution. It was a loose cotton mesh for use in the construction of concrete highways (Harnett County News Mar. 15, 1928). Did you see the word “concrete” and the date-1928?
We give President Dwight Eisenhower credit for our interstate highway system. Did you know that in 1928, Representative Clarence J. McLeod introduced a House Joint Resolution asking for the construction of an inter-American highway on the Western Hemisphere? (Harnett County News Apr. 19, 1928)
Do you think that had anything to do with the fact that cars were more and more available when corporations such as General Motors had seven models of Chevrolet ranging from $495 to $715? Cadillac had 26 models with 500 colors to choose from. The cost was from $3,295 to $5,500. Oakland had nine models ranging from $1,045 to $1,375 (Harnett County News Apr. 26, 1928). Did you ask-“Oakland?”
First, does that tell you that there was a great deal of choices of vehicles for humans to choose to travel from one place to another? For those prices, were better roads needed? Second, does it appear because of the great number of cars and colors that the car industry knew that Americans like to make their own choices?
What about the following? The Coats Town Board met on May 1, 1928 in the Masonic Hall. A.F. Grimes acted as Chairman. (Was he still mayor?) A move was made by J.M. Byrd that the old board be reelected: it was seconded by L.L. Stewart and the voting was unanimous by acclamation (Coats Town Board Meeting May 1, 1928). Can a town board reelect themselves?
Sometimes change is just about the actors and not the stage. For example there seemed to have been a concern about candidate spending by politicians for decades. To verify this, note that Senator Bronson Cutting of New Mexico introduced a Senate Bill No. 4424 to regulate campaign expenditures of candidates for President and Vice President (Harnett County News May 24, 1928).
Have the following changed? The Paramount Theater in Lillington charged 15 cents and 25 cents to watch “The Stolen Bride”. Electric fans kept the audience cool in the hot July weather. The Harnett County citizens voted to have eight months schools in Harnett County School districts (Harnett County News June 21, 1928). Good or bad changes?
This I do know. According to the Oct. 29, 1976 edition of the Daily Record, the Coats Town Board made a $630 payment to the NCDOT for the first of five annual installments on the town’s share of right of way costs on McKinley Street. The board also asked the merchants to pay one half of the rental of Christmas lights. The town was urged to raise water rates and increase tax collections.
One of the principal organizers of Law and Order Appreciation Month was Walter Weeks, a Harnett County police school Liaison Officer (Daily Record Nov. 2, 1976).
Debbie Jean Sorrell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Sorrell, Jr., was engaged to marry James Nelson Jackson, son of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Jackson of Coats (Daily Record Nov. 1973).
Dana Carol Coats, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Waeford Coats, was engaged to Roy Brady McNeal. A private wedding was planned at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Coats on Jan. 2. 1978.
The Nov. 8, 1976 edition of the Daily Record reported that H.L. Sorrell, Jr., coordinator for the HCDETS, had presented George Carroll of Dunn with a plaque in appreciation for loaning cars in which Harnett County students practiced driving under trained supervision.
The same edition shared that Karen Pope, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Pope, was crowned Miss Coats High. Sad news was shared that Mrs. Hazel Eure Grimes, 58, of Coats, had died on Saturday. The former teacher’s funeral services were held at the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, Clyde Grimes and one son, Andrew Clyde Grimes, Jr.
Death had taken another Coats connected citizen at a relatively young age. Mr. John D. Richardson, 57, of Dunn had died on Monday. He was husband of Marian Ennis Richardson and brother-in-law to Tommy Ennis.
Keith McLeod, son of Mr. and Mrs. Victor McLeod, of Coats was named Harnett County’s Outstanding Young Farmer at the Farm Bureau Banquet (Daily Record Nov. 9, 1976). Did Keith later get recognized for outstanding work with the Coats Fire Department and other arenas?
I do know that Douglas Earl Dennis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Dennis, was engaged to marry Jackie Darlene Surles, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack C. Surles (Daily Record Nov. 12, 1976). How familiar do those names sound?
Lucrecia Dawn Avery, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Walker Avery, married Roy Kemp Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Leroy Stewart of Coats. The wedding occurred at Prospect FWB Church by Rev. R.O. Byrd (Daily Record Nov. 22, 1976).
Robert Morgan spoke during the Coats Law and Order Appreciation Month. Among those participating were Walter Weeks, Student Government President Glenn Avery, and Ron Peters. Sadness prevailed at the Pope, McGee and Holmes households. Jeremy E. Holmes, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Randy Holmes, of Coats, had died on Monday. Surviving Jeremy were his paternal grandparents, Edward Holmes, Mrs. Evelyn Holmes, and maternal grandparents, Elder D.A and Carol Pope McGee of Route One, Angier. Elsewhere in the area, M.O. Phillips was elected to the board of directors to raise funds for the School of Education at NC State University Foundation (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1976).
Mrs. Dathan Flowers, 56, of Angier Route 2, had died on Tuesday.. She had been ill for a long while. Mrs. Flowers was the former Miss Excelle Godwin, daughter of the late Grover Cleveland Godwin and Kitty Barnes Godwin. She was survived by her husband, Dathan Flowers and three daughters- Gail Regan, Jennifer and Glenda Flowers. Mrs. Lottie Pollard was her sister and Wiley, Layton and Halford Godwin were Mrs. Flowers’s brothers. Rev. Howard Beard held the services at the Coats Baptist Church. Her nephews-Don Godwin, Danny Pollard, Kenneth Pollard, Shelton Godwin, Maurice Godwin, Leon Walker, Billy Walker and Ronnie Pleasant were pallbearers. Senator and Mrs. Robert Morgan attended the funeral of their dear friend, Jennifer Flowers’s mother (Daily Record Nov. 30, 1976).
Driver Education was once again in the news when the paper published a picture of HCDETS Coordinator H.L. Sorrell, Jr. and Wiley Elliott of the NC State Department of Education. Elliott was pictured explaining the traffic safety curriculum that was to be implemented in the 10 Harnett County Schools (Daily Record Dec. 3, 1976).
Free inoculations to guard against swine flu were provided in the Coats Community Building (Daily Record Dec. 7, 1976).
The headline read “Coats People Keep Their Promises” in the December 8, 1976 Daily Record. What was their promise? Fifty-three people had pledged to give blood at the Bloodmobile and fifty-four people showed up.
Members of the Coats Lions Club heard one of the state’s top banking executives, Frank Holding of Smithfield. Herbert L. Johnson who had presented two other speakers who had discussed finances at the club introduced Mr. Holding. At the same meeting, the group voted to contribute 365 more dollars to make a total of $1,065 given toward the $5,000 improvement project of the Coats Community Building (Daily Record Dec. 9, 1976).
Yes, the Coats Community Building in 1976 was in the news sharing a need for repairs. Ironically, Hazel Taylor Stephenson dropped by the museum to ask for assistance in getting out information about a 2019 “Saving the Coats Community Building” fundraiser. The community building which is rented out for events by the public is in need of many repairs. Many times over the last sixty plus years, the Coats clubs and community folks have come forth to keep the building a safe desirable place to rent. The Coats Area Chamber of Commerce is the current trustee of the building and is asking for support. Go to “Growing up in Coats” to discover how you can be a part of the Save the Coats Community Building Fundraiser.
Speaking of support, the Coats Museum folks are so appreciative of the support they receive from individuals in Coats and from those throughout the state and country. Stewart Akerman always brings a smile to the volunteers’ faces when he drops in for short visits. Last week, he dropped by to give a donation to the museum to honor the many volunteers who give hours to preserve the heritage of local families and the Coats community. Thank you, Stewart. Ralph Denning, an individual who over and over has shown his appreciation of those who have touched his life has remembered Marva Parrish Whittington with a memorial to the museum-Thank you again, Ralph.